Bentley Tenure Over; Center Asks for Release and Gets It

LeCharles Bentley left the Browns facility at lunch time today with a suitcase in his hands and a smile on his face. Reports say he asked for and was granted his release by the team today. GM Phil Savage will speak on the issue later this afternoon. Asked if he’d asked for his release, the former Ohio State star and St. Ignatius product smiled and said, ”Would I do that?” Asked about supposed bad blood between him in the Browns, he said, ”Not any more.” On Monday night Bentley passed a mandated physical by the Browns which included running drills.

The Plain Dealer confirmed that Bentley did indeed ask for his release, and the team granted it. “LeCharles came back to Cleveland to be in integral part of the Cleveland Browns, his hometown team,” said agent Jonathan Feinsod. “Through no fault of the Browns at all, they didn’t know if LeCharles was going to come back or not and they moved on with their plans.” It was apparent from the words of GM Phil Savage on Tuesday that Bentley was not going to be anything more than a backup in 08.

Feinsold went on to say that Bentley still feels he can play in the NFL, and is looking for a starting job on a team this season. “This is not the same team LeCharles signed with. They have commitments to other players. LeCharles is not ready to be an insurance policy at this point,” Feinsod said.